k;ig||i|iii|lil|liii|P^^^ 


B>1 

9  2  X  X 
.   S  G  7  4r 

1   «  v  «s^ 


2>% 

1674 


,oo3.o 


HISTORICAL  DISCOURSE, 


DELIVERED 


ON  SUNDAY,   JULY  16th,   1876, 


IN   THE 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 
Springfield,   N.  J., 


BY 


/ 
Rev.  henry  w.  teller, 


Pastor    of   the    Church. 


NEWARK,  N  J.: 

Printed  by  Ward  &  Tichenor,  832  &  834  Broad  St. 

1876. 


^^_,.  OF  ?mCETo> 


JUN    20   1997 
^fOlOGiCALSt^ 


Spbingfield,  August  Ist,  1876. 
Rev.  H.  W.  Teller: 

Dear  Sir: 

As.  many  of  the  members  of  our  Church 
and  Congregation  have  expressed  a  desire  for  a  copy  of  the  His- 
torical Sermon  preached  on  the  morning  of  July  16th,  we  would 
request  you  to  furnish  us  a  copy  of  the  same  for  publication. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

A.  D.  TRAPHAGEN, 
SAM'L  C.   SMITH, 
JACOB  FRENCH, 
R.  M.  BABBIT, 
O.  H.  SOMMERS, 
WM.    S.  SMITH, 
H.  M.  GRAVES. 


HISTORICAL   DISCOURSE. 


"And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jacob,  How  old  art  thou?  And  Jacob  said  unto 
Pharaoh,  The  days  of  the  years  of  my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred  and  thirty 
years." — Genesis  xlvii:  8,  9. 

^|I|T  is  the  recommendation  of  General  Assembly  tliat 
^1^  during  this  year  sometime  the  pastor  of  each  church 
"^^  should  preach  to  his  people  a  historical  sermon ;  not 
necessarily  a  "Centennial"  sermon — for  only  a  compara- 
tively limited  number  of  the  churches  would  be  able  to  do 
that,  as  the  great  majority  are  not  yet  of  age — but  a  sermon 
that  shall  gather  up  the  more  important  facts  of  its  history, 
that  they  may  be  preserved  for  future  generations. 

The  wisdom  of  such  a  course  will  be  seen  at  a  single 
glance.  We  are  a  young  Nation  yet,  and  the  means  of 
obtaining  an  accurate  history  is  within  our  reach.  Many 
interesting  incidents  and  events — running  back  to  the  very 
beginning  of  our  national  life — may  now  be  easily  collected 
and  as  easily  preserved ;  and  we  owe  it  to  the  generations 
that  shall  follow  after  us,  that  these  things — which  belong  to 
all  ages — shall  be  so  garnered  and  guarded  as  not  to  be  lost. 

What  would  we.  not  now  give  for  an  accurate  and  minute 
history  of  the  ancient  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  such  as  we 
would  now  have,  if  early  in  the  course  of  their  existence, 
they  had  each  adopted  a  plan  like  that  proposed  by  our 


4  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

Greneral  Assembly  ?  The  nearest  approach  we  have  to  it, 
is  the  Bible  history  of  the  Israelites ;  and  how  full  of  inter- 
est is  that  to  every  intelligent  and  appreciative  reader. 
And  will  not  the  people  who  will  be  living  two  thousand 
years  from  now,  have  at  least  an  equal  desire  to  know  all 
that  they  may  of  the  events  transpiring  in  the  present,  and 
shaping  the  destiny  of  this  great  Republic  ? 

It  is  well,  then,  that  each  church,  and  each  town,  should 
lay  hold  upon  the  opportunity  while  it"  may,  to  rescue  its 
past  from  oblivion.  And  not  alone  for  the  benefit  of  future 
generations  should  this  be  done,  but  also  for  the  instruction 
of  the  present.  That  we  may  see  in  our  path  the  finger 
of  God,  and  realize  in  some  measure  the  goodness  and 
mercy  that  have  followed  us ;  and  hear,  over  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  rolling  years,  the  voices  of  his  providence 
calling  us  to  a  higher  national  and  individual  life. 

In  preparing  a  historical  discourse  for  our  own  church 
and  township,  we  have  chosen  the  text  we  have  for  two 
reasons :  First,  because  of  the  general  appropriateness  of 
the  question,  "How  old  art  thou?"  In  this  Centennial 
year,  (which  seems  to  have  been  set  apart  by  common  con- 
sent to  the  work  of  retrospection,)  all  questions,  and  all 
forms  of  salutation,  are  merged  in  this :  "  How  old  art 
thou?" 

The  old  folks  are  having  things  all  their  own  way  this 
year.  Old  books,  old  manuscripts,  old  legends,  are  in  great 
demand.  Nothing  is  valued  very  highly  unless  it  can  show 
some  age.  Musty  records  are  hunted  up,  moss-covered 
monuments  are  carefully  studied,  old  roads  are  gone  over, 
old  houses  are  visited,  the  roots  of  ancient  family  trees  are 
dug  after,  and  men  are  inquiring  of  everything  that  has  a 
venerable  appearance,  "  How  old  art  thou  ?" 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  5 

In  the  second  place,  the  text  is  chosen  for  the  peculiar 
appropriateness  of  the  answer ;  for  it  is  just  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years  since  the  first  pastor  was  installed  here, 
over  the  people  of  God,  and  he  was  settled  immediately 
after  the  church  was  organized. 

So,  as  they  who  are  interested  in  the  old  church  ask,  in 
the  language  of  the  text,  "  How  old  art  thou  ?"  we  can 
imagine  it,  as  also  in  the  language  of  the  text,  replying, 
"  The  days  of  the  years  of  my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred 
and  thirty  years." 

And  what  a  record  of  good  and  evil,  of  human  love  and 
hate,  of  passionate  praj^ers  and  maledictions,  of  alternating 
hopes  and  fears,  of  solemn  consecrations  and  shameful  back- 
slidings,  of  glorious  triumphs  and  inglorious  defeats,  of 
homes  built  up  and  filled  u]3  and  then  deserted,  of  darkened 
birth  and  death  chambers,  of  fair  forms  wreathed  with 
orange  blossoms  and  then  covered  with  crape,  of  graves 
opened  and  flowers  above  them  kept  fresh  and  fragrant  for 
a  season  by  our  tears  and  then  neglected ;  what  a  record  of 
such  things,  I  say,  (strangely  varied  and  brought  close 
together  by  the  rush  of  years,)  is  contained  in  that  long 
stretch  of  time,   "a  hundred  and  thirty  years." 

A  history  of  the  church  is,  in  one  respect,  a  history  of 
the  town,  and  a  history  of  the  town  is  a  history  of  the 
country.  We  can  scarcely  go  over  the  whole  ground  in  a 
single  discourse,  but  a  few  general  facts  are  essential  to  an 
intelligent  review  of  our  local  history. 

The  precise  date  of  the  first  settlement  within  the  limits 
of  New  Jersey  is  not  positively  known.  We  know,  how- 
ever, that  there  was  a  Dutch  trading  post  at  Bergen  as  early 
as  the  year  1622. 

The  settlement  at  Elizabethtown,  made  in  lee-l  by  erai- 


6  HISTORICAL    DISCOURSE, 

grants  from  Long  Island,  was  really,  it  is  supposed,  the  be- 
ginning of  colonization  in  this  State. 

In  that  same  year  the  English  King  granted  to  the  Duke 
of  York,  (as  a  slight  token  of  respect,  or  for  some  other 
equally  commendable  reason,)  the  whole  State  of  New  Jersey 
and  a  part  of  New  York,  and  the  Duke  sold  the  State  of 
New  Jersey  to  a  brace  of  English  worthies  called  Lord 
Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret.  Which  transaction,  on 
the  part  of  his  kingship  and  dukeship,  had  about  as  much 
right  and  religion  in  it  as  though  I  should  give  to  one  of 
my  elders  the  little  Island  of  Great  Britain,  and  he  should 
sell  it  in  two  slices  to  two  members  of  this  congregation. 

Shortly  after  the  settlement  at  Elizabethtown,  Newark, 
Middletown  and  Shrewsbury  were  founded. 

We  would  say  right  here,  that  it  does  not  become  us  to 
boast  too  loudly  of  our  gray  hairs,  either  as  a  town  or  a 
church,  for  there  are  a  good  many  in  the  State  more  vener- 
able than  we.  As  a  church,  we  have  a  near  neighbor  that 
over  a  year  ago  had  occasion  to  rejoice  in  its  two  hundredth 
anniversary ;  I  refer  to  the  church  at  Woodbridge.  The 
oldest  church  in  the  State — the  First  Church  of  Eliza- 
beth, of  which  Rev.  Dr.  Kempshall  is  now  pastor — is  two 
hundred  and  ten  years  old.  The  town  of  Springfield  was 
not  settled  until  fifty-three  years  after  the  settlement  of 
Elizabethtown.  The  State  had  at  the  time  something  over 
forty  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Briant  family  was  the  first 
to  settle  in  this  section  of  the  country,  in  1717,  and  the 
Stites  family  must  have  followed  immediately  after.  For 
awhile  there  were  but  three  families,  it  is  said,  between  Mor- 
ristown  and  Elizabethtown.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  this 
extensive  tract  of  country,  now  so  thickly  populated  and 
seamed  with  railroads,  and  dotted  over  with  villages  and 


SPRINGFIELD,    N,    J,  7 

covered  with  great  mills  and  factories;  think  of  it,  with 
only  three  houses  in  it.  These  broad  fields  uncultivated, 
these  hills  covered  with  dense  forests,  these  streams  hidden 
by  the  wild  growths  of  nature,  and  only  one  road,  more 
nearly  resembling  a  modern  cart-path  at  that,  threading  its 
uncertain  way  from  one  town  to  the  other. 

In  1788  the  village  of  Springfield  consisted  of  three 
houses,  occupied  by  Thomas  Denman,  and  the  Van  Winkle 
and  Whitehead  families.  But  from  this  time  the  number 
of  inhabitants,  in  the  village  and  adjoining  country,  must 
have  increased  rapidly. 

It  was  in  those  early  days  that  the  people  in  all  these 
regions  round  about  Elizabethtown,  having  but  the  one 
church  to  worship  in,  used  to  walk  to  it  from  Rahway,  West- 
field,  Springfield  and  Connecticut  Farms.  Whether  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  going  to  and  fro  to  both  services,  or  of 
attending  as  regularly  on  rainy  Sundays  as  clear  ones,  we 
have  no  means  at  this  late  day  of  determining.  The  church 
in  Springfield,  (which  is  the  only  child  of  the  Connecticut 
Farms  Church,  and  one  of  the  grand-children  of  the  First 
Church  of  Elizabeth,)  was  organized  twenty-nine  years  after 
the  first  settlement  here.  It  belonged  originally  to  the 
Presbytery  of  New  York.  A  house  of  worship  was  imme- 
diately built,  and  was  situated  about  half  way  between  the 
present  parsonage  and  the  Millburn  depot.  It  was  very 
near,  if  not  on  exactly  the  same  spot,  where  Mr.  John 
Meeker's  store  is  now  standing.  There  was  also  a  grave- 
yard there.  Tradition  says  the  church  was  built  of  logs. 
It  was  completed,  and  the  first  pastor.  Rev.  Timothy  Syms,* 
was  mstalled  in  1746,  just  one  hundred  and  thirty  years 

*  I  give  the  name  as  I  find  it  in  a  deed  given  in  1751,  which  is  unquestionably 
correct;  though  elsewhere  it  is  written  "Symmes," 


8  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

ago.  Mr.  Syms  had  charge  of  this  church,  in  connection 
with  the  one  at  New  Providence.  He  was  grandfather,  we 
are  told,  of  one  Capt.  Syms,  who  had  a  novel  theory  of  the 
structure  of  the  earth,  that  is  said  to  have  excited  a  good 
deal  of  attention  at  the  time.  You  will  have  to  look  pretty 
sharply,  though,  in  the  Cycloposdias  of  the  day  to  find  out 
just  what  his  peculiar  notion  was ;  for  there  have  been  so 
many  novel  theories  invented  since,  that  his  is  almost  lost 
in  the  multitude.  He  believed  that  the  earth  was  hollow, 
and  that  the  inside  was  inhabited,  or  might  be,  just  as  well 
as  the  outside.  The  entrance  to  this  inner  world  was  at 
the  poles.  He  proved  the  sincerity  of  his  views  by  peti- 
tioning Congress  for  means  to  fit  out  an  expedition  to  test 
the  truth  of  them,  but  Congress  very  wisely  concluded  not 
to  grant  his  request,  as  there  was  yet  plenty  of  room  on  the 
outside  of  the  globe  for  all  the  people.  The  only  merit  his 
theory  possessed  was  originality,  and  the  only  thing  that 
saved  both  him  and  it  from  oblivion,  was  that  he  was  a 
kind  of  pioneer  in  that  species  of  novelty. 

Mr.  Syms,  the  grandfather  of  the  captain — and  famous 
chiefly  for  being  his  grandfather — was  pastor  of  the  church 
for  four  years,  until  1750,  after  which  there  was  a  vacancy 
for  thirteen  years.  While  he  was  pastor,  and  the  first 
church  was  still  standing,  there  was  given  to  the  congrega- 
tion a  tract  of  land  consisting  of  one  hundred  acres,  in  the 
following  way  and  upon  the  following  conditions.  I  quote 
from  the  original  deed  as  it  was  given  by  James  Alexander, 
who  was  one  of  the  then  Lord  Proprietors  of  the  Eastern 
Division  of  New  Jersey,  and  who  was  appointed  by  his 
associates  for  the  purpose.  The  deed  bears  date  March 
29th,  1751,  and  reads  as  follows :  "  And  as  to  the  other 
one  hundred   acres  of  the  premises,"  (one  hundred  acres 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  9 

were  first  deeded  to  Kev.  Timothy  Sims  as  his  own  private 
property,)  "  the  same  is  to  be  to  the  sole  and  only  proper  use, 
benefit  and  behoof  of  the  said  Timothy  Syms  and  Peter 
Dickinson,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  rendering  therefore  year- 
ly, one  pint  of  spring  water ^  when  demanded  on  the  premises. 
Provided,  always,  and  it  is  hereby  declared,  that  the  last 
hundred  acres  is  to  be  held  by  the  said  Timothy  Syms  and 
Peter  Dickinson,  and  the  survivors  of  them  and  their  heirs, 
in  trust ;  to  be  a  glebe  for  the  use  of  the  minister  of  the 
said  parish  of  Springfield — for  the  time  being — forever  ; 
and  never  to  be  sold,  or  disposed  of,  to  any  other  use.  But 
the  said  trustees  and  their  assigns  shall  and  may,  from  time 
to  time,  at  the  request  of  the  minister  and  the  vestry  of  the 
said  church  of  Springfield — for  the  time  being — grant  and 
convey  the  same  to  such  other  trustees  as  they  shall  from 
time  to  time  name,  for  the  use  and  purpose  aforesaid,  and 
no  other.' 

For  years  the  chief  value  of  this  land  was  in  the  forests 
that  covered  it,  which  enabled  the  church  to  add  to  their 
other  inducements  in  seeking  a  pastor,  an  abundance  of 
firewood. 

Whatever  became  of  the  first  log  house  of  worship,  T 
have  not  been  able  to  learn.  There  is  no  record  of  it,  save 
the  single  fact— stated  in  an  old  manuscript — that  it  was 
built.  It  might  have  been  destroyed,  or  very  likely  it  was 
abandoned  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to  put  up  another. 
We  know  very  well  that  the  Puritan  principles  of  our  fore- 
fathers would  not  suffer  them  to  worship  very  long  in  a 
temple  of  logs,  while  they  dwelt  in  their  ceiled  houses. 

The  second  meeting-house  was  built  in  1761,  fifteen  years 
after  the  first,  upon  flie  spot  where  the  present  one  is  stand- 
ing, and  stood  liere  for  nineteen  years, 
2 


10  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

In  1763,  Eev.  Mr.  Ker  was  installed,  and  was  here  two 
years,  wlien  there  was  a  vacancy  of  nine  years.  There  is 
no  account  of  any  of  the  events  transpiring  in  all  that  time, 
except  that  the  first  parsonage  was  raised  Aug.  22d,  1764. 
When  the  record  is  again  I'esumed,  it  is  at  a  period  imrne- 
diatel}^  preceding  the  Eevolution,  for  this  second  church 
was  the  centre  of  revolutionary  interest  for  the  town  of 
Springfield. 

In  November,  1778,  it  was  so  taken  up  with  public  stores, 
that  the  congregation  abandoned  it  for  the  time  being,  and 
fitted  up  the  garret  of  the  old  parsonage  as  a  temporary 
place  of  worship.  Thus  was  the  building  itself  dedicated 
to  the  country's  service,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  Battles. 
How  small  and  mean  the  spirit  of  revenge  that  afterward 
burned  it  to  the  ground,  and  yet  a  spirit  worthy  the  tyr- 
anny that  employed  mercenary  troops  and  savages  to  carry 
on  an  unholy  war. 

On  October  12th,  1773,  a  call  was  given  Rev.  John  Close. 
He  was  offered  $250,  besides  the  parsonage  and  firewood, 
but  for  some  reason  kept  secret  from  the  ages,  the  offer 
was  not  accepted.  Perhaps  he  was  a  young  man,  and  mod- 
est, and  the  offer  seemed  too  great.  During  this  year.  Rev. 
Mr.  Caldwell — who  was  called  the  "high  priest  of  the  Rev- 
olution," whose  wife  was  shot  at  Connecticut  Farms  shortly 
l)efore  the  battle  of  Springfield,  and  who  was  himself  mur- 
dered the  year  following  at  the  Elizabethtown  ferry — 
preached  several  times  to  this  congregation. 

On  October  10th,  1774,  Rev.  Jacob  Y^  Artsdalen,*  whose 
remains  are  resting  in  our  cemetery,  came  before  the  people 
and  "preached  a  lecture," — as  the  record    has   it — which 

Mi 

*  I  give  the  name  as  I  find  it  in  his  own  handwriting.  It  was  afterwards  writ- 
ten Vanarsdalen.  and  still  later  Vanarsdale,  or  Vanarsdal. 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  11 

was  SO  well  received  that  it  secured  him  a  call  at  once.  He 
came  in  December  of  the  same  year,  upon  a  salary  of  $250, 
together  with  the  use  of  the  parsonage  and  the  inevitable 
firewood,  which  was  to  be  drawn  to  his*  door.  The  salary 
was  afterward  increased  to  $300. 

The  meagre  support  received  from  the  churches  had  a 
tendency  to  make  some  of  the  pastors  pretty  sharp  finan- 
ciers. As  an  illustration  of  this,  there  is  still  in  existence 
a  fifteen  hundred  dollar  bond,  given  by  the  Tinistees  of  the 
church  to  Mr.  Y^^  Artsdalen  upon  the  condition,  that  if  the 
Trustees  paid  "promptly  every  year,"  in  "quarterly  i)ay- 
ments,"  their  pastor's  salar}^,  and  "well  and  truly"  provided 
"  a  sufficient  quantity  of  firewood,"  and  kept  him  "  in  quiet 
and  ])eaceable  possession"  of  the  parsonage,  "with  all  the 
appurtenances,"  and  kept  "the  same  in  good  repair,"  ac- 
cording "  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning"  of  their  agree- 
ment, then  the  obligation  of  the  bond  was  "to  be  void, 
otherwise  to  remain  in  full  force  and  virtue." 

It  does  not  prove  the  pastor  avaricious,  but  only  that  his 
salary  was  so  small  that  he  could  not  afford  to  run  any  risks. 
He  evidently  did  not  consider  their  word  quite  as  good  as 
their  bond.  Let  it  be  said,  however,  to  the  credit  of  the 
church,  that  every  obligation  was  promptly  met,  and  in  due 
time  the  bond  was  canceled.  Mr.  Y^  Artsdalen  served  the 
church  faithfully  for  twenty-seven  years,  and  resigned  his 
charge  only  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  do  so. 
One  evidence  of  the  people's  affection  for  him  is  the  fact 
that  in  May,  1778,  they  gave  him  a  vacation  of  six  months, 
and  continued  his  salary.  You  must  remember  that  that 
was  not  as  much  the  practice  then  as  it  is  now.  It  was 
something  more  than  mere  conventional  courtesy,  or  a  forced 
concession  to  a  growing  custom,  that  led  a  people  in  those 


12  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

days  to  grant  their  pastor  a  leave  of  absence.  He  was  ar- 
dently devoted  to  his  country,  and  to  the  work  of  the  Mas- 
ter. The  time  of  his  ministry  included  the  whole  period  of 
the  Revolution.  I^e  saw  his  church,  togethei*  with  many 
of  the  homes  of  his  parishioners,  reduced  to  ashes ;  but 
nothing  daunted  he  continued  his  work.  He  gathered  his 
scattered  flock  together  again,  as  a  father  would  gather  his 
children,  and  releasing  them  from  their  bonded  obligation 
to  pay  him  a  stipulated  salary,  he  hired  to  them  from  year 
to  year,  accepting  just  what  they  could  afford  to  give.  After 
the  burning  of  the  church  we  next  find  him  preaching  to 
his  heroic  band  of  christian  patriots,  in  the  old  parsonage 
barn.  Why  they  did  not  return  to  the  garret  we  are  not 
informed,  but  very  likely  the  congregation  had  by  this  time 
outgrown  it ;  oi-,  what  is  equally  probable,  they  might  have 
thought  that  as  they  were  now  driven  out  of  their  church 
mdelinitely,  the  barn  would  be  more  convenient.  They 
certainly  had  the  grace  and  the  good  sense  to  make  the  best 
of  the  situation.  They  were  "cast  down,  but  not  dis- 
couraged." As  soon  as  they  fixed  upon  their  place  of  wor- 
ship they  agreed  to  ceil  it  up  to  the  plate  and  gable  end 
beams.  In  the  following  year  they  had  put  in  galleries, 
with  the  foremost  seats  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  pulpit 
reserved  for  the  singers.  In  this  rudely  fitted  up  temple 
they  must  have  worshiped  ten  years. 

September  25th,  1786,  four  years  after  the  barn  was  fairly 
fitted  up,  the  church  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
the  "  First  Congregation  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Springfield."  The  seal  of  the  church — a  Dove  with  an 
Olive  branch — was  not  adopted  until  December,  1792.  In 
1786  they  began  to  talk  of  building  for  themselves  the  third 
house  of  worship.     Four  years,  at  least,  was  spent  in  work- 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  18 

ing  up  an  interest  and  laying  plans,  and  devising  means,  be- 
fore the  building  was  fairly  begun.  It  was  first  agreed  to 
build  of  brick  and  stone.  A  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire ; 
they  wanted  something  that  wouldn't  burn.  But  the  first 
plan  was  given  up  as  too  expensive  for  their  limited  means. 
Twelve  months  after  they  concluded  upon  cedar  shingles, 
.and  finally,  in  1791,  the  frame  went  up.  It  was  a  time  of 
general  rejoicing  to  both  pastor  and  people.  Work  and 
material  were  contributed  by  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion as  they  were  able.  Men  came  bringing  their  tools  and 
the  best  timber  their  farms  could  furnish ;  booths  were 
erected  on  the  ground,  where  the  women  prepared  meals 
for  the  volunteer  workmen ;  contributions  were  solicited 
from  the  churches  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York;  the 
bell  was  contributed  by  Mr.  Samuel  Tyler,  and  thus  the 
work  went  forward  to  completion,  and  grand  old  Jacob  V" 
Artsdalen  was  the  first  to  preach  in  the  new  church  as  he 
had  been  the  last  to  preach  in  the  old. 

Some  of  you  will  remember  this  church  as  it  was  origi- 
nally, just  as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  that  earnest 
band  of  workmen.  You  have  in  your  memory  an  un- 
fading picture  of  its  old  fashioned,  straight-backed  pews ; 
its  broad  centre  aisle,  its  middle  seats  that  had  no  par- 
tition running  through  them,  as  these  have ;  its  narrow 
side  aisles  which  made  a  passage  for  the  benefit  of  the 
wall  seats  only,  as  they  only  opened  into  them,  the  centre 
seats  being  closed  up  at  the  ends  nearest  the  walls.  You 
have  not  forgotten,  either,  the  quaint  old  circular  pulpit, 
mounted  upon  a  high  column  like  a  huge  barrel,  elevat- 
ed so  as  to  overlook  the  body  of  the  church,  and  at  the 
same  time  sweep  the  galleries.  And  you  will  remember 
also,  the  great  sounding  board,  back  of  the  pulpit  and  di- 


14  HISTOKIGAL     DISCOURSE, 

rectly  over  the  preacher's  head,  that  caused  3^ou  always  to 
think  of  the  wings  that  overshadowed  the  Mercy  Seat, 
though  it  never  1)ore  to  them  the  slightest  resemblance. 
Such  was  the  primitive  glory  of  this  latter  house,  as  some 
of  you  well  remember.  In  it  Mr.  Y^  Artsdalen  preached 
as  long  as  he  was  able,  and  finally  when  he  could  come  no 
longer,  he  was  brought  one  day  by  loving  hands  that  his. 
sorrowing  people  might  look  upon  his  face  once  more,  and 
for  the  last  time. 

On  the  first  of  Ma}'-,  1800,  he  stopped  preaching,  but  he 
remained  in  the  parsonage,  and  his  salary  was  continued. 
On  May  1st,  1801,  he  was  dismissed  and  one  year's  further 
salary  was  voted  to  him.     In  1803  he  entered  into  his  rest. 

It  is  recorded  that  near  the  close  of  his  ministry  Rev. 
Jonathan  Elmer  preached  for  him ;  and  as  he  was  without 
charge  he  recpiested  a  contribution,  which  was  accordingly 
taken  up  and  amounted  to  eight  dollars  and  some  cents.  It 
may  seem  to  us  an  unimportant  item  to  be  made  a  matter 
of  record,  but  we  must  acknowleilge  that  he  was  a  better 
judge  as  to  its  importance.  In  March,  1801,  it  was  decided 
to  hire  Rev.  Gershom  Williams  for  one  year  from  May  1st. 
In  October  of  the  same  year  a  call  was  given  him,  which  he 
seems  to  have  had  under  consideration  for  a  long  while,  for 
the  first  Communion  after  his  acceptance  of  it  was  on  the 
23d  of  May,  1802.  His  ministry  here  was  marked  by  the 
most  powerful  revival  that  ever  occurred  in  this  churcli. 
He  has  left  on  record,  in  his  own  hand-writing,  two  bits  of 
personal  experience  that  are  as  windows  looking  into  the 
heart  of  the  man,  and  disclosing  something  of  the  spiritual 
moods  to  which  he  appears  to  have  been  subject.  Like  the 
Psalmist  David  he  was  susceptible  of  the  highest  exaltation 
and  deepest  depression.     On  September  9th,  1804,  he  went 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  15 

home  from  the  Lord's  Supper  and  wrote,  in  the  bitterness  of 
his  spirit,  '' Not  one  new  member  admitted.  O  melanchoh^ 
instance,  once  repeated  since  my  public  ministry  began. 
May  this  evidence  of  barrenness  humble  me,  and  lead  all 
the  Disciples  to  ardent  prayer."  Four  years  the  leanness 
continued,  and  there  were  but  nine  added  to  the  church  in 
the  whole  time.  Then  there  was  an  addition  of  thirty  at 
one  Communion,  and  at  another,  in  the  same  year,  of  fifteen. 
After  that  there  was  no  general  work  of  grace  until  1814 
On  May  8th  of  that  year  the  faithful  pastor  goes  from  the 
breaking  of  bread  to  his  study  in  a  far  different  mood  from 
that  which  carried  him  there  on  that  dark  September  day, 
ten  years  before.  The  fruit  is  at  length  ripening  and  drop- 
ping into  his  hands,  and  his  heart  is  full.  He  sits  down 
and  writes  a  long  list  of  names — every  one  of  which  he 
counts  as  a  star — and  then  under  the  list  he  writes,  "  The 
above  one  hundred  and  one  names  were  all  added  to  the 
church  in  one  day — of  whom  forty- one  then  received  bap- 
tism. Wondrous  day  of  the  Lord  !  never  to  be  forgotten." 
It  was  indeed  a  wondrous  day  for  the  Springfield  church. 
These  galleries  were  packed,  until  it  was  feared  they  would 
break  down ;  these  seats  and  aisles  were  crowded  to  over- 
flowing with  penitent  saints  and  sinners,  that  had  been 
alike  quickened  into  new  life.  Do  you  think  that  pastor's 
joy  could  have  been  measured  that  day  by  any  earthly 
measurement?  There  are  many  treasures  in  this  world 
that  men  reckon -of  priceless  value,  and  count  with  pride 
and  delight,  but  there  are  none  like  the  souls  that  are  saved 
for  Jesus.  We  know  nothing  of  the  fullness  of  joy  until 
we  sit  down  to  number  the  saved  through  our  instrumental- 
ity, who  shall  shine  as  stars  hereafter  in  our  crown  of  re- 
joicing. 


16  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

Just  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Williams'  ministry,  in  1818,  the 
tirst  Sunday  School  known  in  this  part  of  the  country  was 
started  by  Miss  Catharine  Campbell,  in  a  room  fitted  up  for 
the  purpose  on  her  father's  premises.  The  school  began 
with  three  teachers — Miss  Catharine  Campbell,  (now  Mrs. 
Wilbur  of  Orange,)  Miss  Eliza  Campbell,  and  Miss  Diiyck- 
inck,  and  with  one  hundred  scholars.  Miss  Eliza  taught 
forty  of  the  larger  boys,  Miss  Catharine  twenty-five  of  the 
larger  girls,  and  Miss  Duyckinck  took  the  remaining  boys 
and  girls.  A  few  months  later,  the  school  more  immediately 
connected  with  this  church  was  organized  by  Mrs.  Mary 
Ten  Broeck,  (now  Mrs.  Atwater  of  New  Haven,)  and  a 
young  lady,  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  Halsey  of  Newark.)  It 
began  with  about  five  teachers  and  a  hundred  scholars. 
Neither  school  had  any  male  teachers  at  the  beginning. 
The  good  brethren  wanted  to  see  the  innovation  a  success, 
before  they  lent  it  any  assistance  that  would  be  likely  to 
compromise  their  Christian  standing. 

Sunday  Schools  were  then  a  new  thing  under  the  sun. 
A  good  many  of  the  churches,  and  not  a  few  of  the  pastors, 
regarded  them  suspiciously,  as  calculated  to  draw  away  the 
general  interest  fi'om  the  long  established  means  of  grace 
and  methods  of  salvation.  The  people  also  shared  this 
want  of  confidence  in  them,  or  else  were  at  a  loss  to  know 
just  what  was  intended  by  them.  Some  had  the  impression 
that  it  was  a  money-making  operation.  One  woman — to 
whom  one  of  the  teachers  went  asking  if  her  children  could 
attend — wanted  first  to  know  "  how  much  she  was  going 
to  charge  a  quarter."  There  were  difficulties  to  overcome, 
but  the  schools  were  successfully  established,  and  from  the 
first  were  greatly  prospered  and  blessed.  They  are  not 
yet  done  bearing  fruit. 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  17 

Eev.  James  W.  Tucker,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Williams, 
came  here  fi'om  New  England.  He  was  installed  August 
4th,  1818,  and  was  here  but  a  few  months.  He  died  sud- 
denly February  11th,  1819.  He  is  described  as  a  man  of 
remarkable  pulpit  ability,  having  few  equals  in  his  day  in 
this  respect.  He  was  warmly  in  sympathy  with  the  two 
infant  Sunday  Schools,  and  greatly  endeared  himself  to  the 
earnest  workers  of  the  church  during  his  short  stay  among 
them. 

Following  him  in  1820,  was  Eev.  Elias  W.  Crane.  He 
was  installed  January  5th,  and  preached  here  six  years.  He 
was  dismissed  October  17th,  1826.  A  large  number  were 
added  to  the  church  during  his  ministry.  While  here  he 
preached  the  first  historical  sermon,  but  there  is  no  copy  of 
it  to  be  found  at  present.  It  was  during  his  time  that  a 
decided  novelty,  in  the  shape  of  a  stove,  was  introduced 
into  the  church.  Hitherto  foot-stoves,  heated  with  corn- 
cobs, and  fiat  stones,  well  toasted  and  wrapped  up,  together 
with  the  warming  power  of  the  pulpit,  and  the  inward  heat 
of  the  spirit,  had  been  relied  upon.  But  the  people  were 
getting  more  tender,  or  fastidious,  or  both.  There  seems 
not  to  have  been,  however,  as  much  opposition  here  to  the 
ungodly  thing,  as  in  many  other  places.  It  came  and  took 
peaceable  possession  of  the  centre  aisle  about  one-third  of 
the  way  from  the  door.  The  pipe  ran  straight  up  toward 
the  pulpit,  to  within  a  few  feet  of  it,  and  then  sent  out  two 
arms  at  right  angles,  that  were  thrust  out  through  these 
side  windows.  As  there  were  no  chimneys,  you  can  imag- 
ine the  condition  of  the  church  on  windy  Sundays.  The 
stove  was  paid  for  by  voluntary  contributions.  An  inci- 
dent connected  with  this  fact  has  been  happily  preserved, 
to  illustrate  the  generous  spirit  of  "  those  good  old  times," 
3 


18  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

of  which  we  delight  to  hear  if  it  is  not  too  frequently 
thrust  upon  our  notice,  as  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  more 
])enurious  spirit  of  the  present  age.  One  liberal-minded 
young  man,  w^hen  the  contribution  box  was  passed  around, 
dropped  twenty-five  cents  into  it,  and  a  near  neighbor,  wit- 
nessing his  ruinous  liberality,  nudged  him  and  inquired 
reprovingly,   "What  did  you  give  so  much  for?" 

During  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Crane's  ministry,  the  people 
of  the  township  met  in  this  church  to  celebrate  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  nation's  independence,  and  to  listen  to 
an  able  and  eloquent  oration,  delivered  by  Mr.  Sylvester 
Cooke,  then  a  young  man  and  a  teacher  in  the  public 
school,  now  a  venerable  minister  of  the  gospel  retired  from 
active  work. 

Rev.  John  D.  Paxton  followed  Mr.  Crane,  and  was  here 
little  less  than  a  year.  He  was  never  installed.  He  was 
Moderator  of  the  Session  from  October  27th,  1826,  to  June 
25th,  1827. 

Rev.  William  Gray  was  settled  February  6th,  1828,  and 
was  here  about  a  year.     He  left  sometime  in  1829. 

In  the  Sessional  records,  as  kept  by  these  earlier  pastors, 
I  liiid  that  whenever  there  was  a  meeting  of  tlie  Session,  if 
one  of  the  elders  was  al)sent  he  was  called  to  an  account  at 
the  next  meeting,  or  even  if  he  was  late  he  must  give  his 
reasons.  It  was  considered  a  matter  of  sacred  duty  in  those 
days  that  every  elder  should  be  present  at  every  meeting  of 
the  Session.  It  was  a  custom  that  might  be  practiced  to 
advantage  in  our  own  day. 

Rev.  Horace  Doolittle  was  installed  in  May,  1830,  and 
dismissed  in  April,  1833. 

The  year  he  left,  our  Methodist  brethren  began  the  build- 
ing of  their  house  of  worship.     Up  to  this  time  our  church 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J,  19 

had  been  the  only  one  anywhere  in  this  vicinity.  The 
churches  at  Westfield,  Connecticut  Farms  and  South  Orange 
were  our  nearest  neighbors.  The  Episcopal  church  at 
Millburn  was  not  built  until  1853,  and  the  Baptist  church 
at  a  still  later  period. 

After  Mr.  Doolittle's  time  the  church  was  without  a  pas- 
tor, except  as  supplied  by  Rev.  Mr.  Woodbury,  until  1835. 
On  April  28th  of  that  year  Rev.  John  C.  Hart  was  in- 
stalled, and  remained  eight  years.  He  was  dismissed  Sept. 
1st,  1843.  Mr.  Hart  is  remembered  as  an  earnest  preacher 
and  most  excellent  pastor.  There  were  large  accessions  to 
the  church  during  the  time  •  of  his  ministry  here.  He 
preached  a  historical  sermon  July  1st,  1840,  to  which  refer- 
ence is  made  in  the  "Historical  Collections  of  New  Jersey." 
From  his  manuscript  we  learn  of  a  thrilling  incident  that 
occurred  during  the  battle  of  Springfield. 

When  the  alarm  was  sounded  upon  the  mountain  a  family 
living  where  Mrs.  Daniel  Smith  is  now  living,  began  to  hide 
away  their  more  valuable  household  goods.  While  they 
were  all  thus  busily  engaged,  the  two  armies  were  posted 
for  the  fight  on  either  side  of  the  Rah  way  river.  They 
themselves  were  directly  between  the  contending  forces. 
They  could  not  go  down  the  road  to  cross  at  the  brido-e 
without  exposing  themselves  to  the  fire  of  friend  and  foe. 
So  they  sought  the  shelter  of  the  woods  in  the  rear  of  the 
house,  and  becoming  separated  from  each  other  one  of  the 
family,  a  young  girl  fourteen  years  old,  found  herself  alone 
with  a  little  sister  in  her  care.  Taking  the  baby  in  her 
arms  she  bravely  forded  the  river  while  the  battle  was 
raging,  and  ran  with  it  past  the  church  on  the  road  to  Miil- 
burn,  until  she  sank  down  exhausted.     There  the  father 


20  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

and  mother  soon  found  her.  and  thej  all  continued  their 
flight  to  a  place  of  safety  among  the  Short  Hills. 

Mr.  Hart  was  succeeded  b};^  Rev.  Edward  E.  Rankin,  who 
was  installed  April  23d,  1844,  and  dismissed  in  1850.  He 
is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  fine  personal  aj^pearance,  having 
a  clear  pleasant  voice,  which,  while  it  was  not  loud,  was 
always  easily  heard  His  ministry  here  was  largely  blessed . 
During  his  pastorate  he  took  a  trip  to  Europe,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Starkweather  supplied  the  pulpit  i.n  his  absence. 

Rev.  "William  E.  Locke,  formerly  a  preacher  in  the  Bap- 
tist denomination,  succeeded  him.  He  was  installed  May 
28th,  1851,  and  dismissed  in  1852. 

Of  his  successor,  the  Rev.  0.  L.  Kirtland,  who  was  in- 
stalled May  3d,  1853,  and  dismissed  at  his  own  request,  on 
account  of  failing  health,  April  17th,  1872,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  I  should  speak,  even  to  the  children,  of  this  con- 
gregation. It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  words  of  one 
who  was  a  stranger  to  him,  can  make  any  more  dear  or  fra- 
grant that  name  of  blessed  memory  to  you  all.  How  many 
hallowed  associations  are  clustered  around  it  in  your  hearts 
and  homes.  He  is  the  man  who,  for  twenty  years,  was  your 
sympathizing  friend  and  spiritual  adviser.  In  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  case  no  other  can  ever  take  his  place,  to  many  of 
you.  He  married  you,  he  baptized  your  children,  he  stood 
with  you  at  the  grave  of  your  loved  ones,  he  sought  to  soften 
the  sorrow  by  words  of  holy  comfort ;  he  has  been  in  your 
homes  a  frequent  and  honored  guest ;  his  memory  is  asso- 
ciated with  days  that  were  bright  and  days  that  were  cloudy  ; 
he  has  been  to  you  father,  and  brother,  and  friend ;  and 
such  friendships  are  formed  but  once  in  a  life-time.  There 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  added  to  the  church  during 
Mr.  Kirtland's  pastorate  here.     In  the  early  part  of    his 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  21 

ministry  the  lecture  room  was  built,  and  near  the  close  of 
it  the  church  was  remodeled  to  its  present  appearance  and 
the  organ  put  in  its  place.  Two  years  after  his  resignation 
he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1872,  Kev.  Mr.  Bowen  was  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  church,  and  dismissed  in  April,  1874, 
to  enter  upon  the  Turkish  Mission,  where  he  now  is. 

The  present  pastor  was  called  and  began  the  supply  of 
the  pulpit  in  Ma}*,  1874,  and  was  installed  October  28th,  of 
the  same  year. 

During  the  past  year  an  infant  class  room  has  been  built 
upon  the  lecture  room,  and  the  lecture  room  repainted,  at 
an  expense  of  about  eight  hundred  dollars.  The  church 
has  had,  since  its  beginning,  fifteen  pastors.  Of  the  men 
who  have  served  you  in  the  Gospel  ministry,  several  took 
this  as  their  first  charge  and  were  ordained  here.  One  was 
married  here;  two  died  and  were  buried  here.  From  the 
membership  of  the  church,  three  young  men — -Alfred  Briant, 
William  Townley  and  William  D.  Reeve — have  entered  the 
ministry.  One  young  lady  has  gone  out  as  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary— Miss  Rebekah  Smith,  who  went  as  the  wife  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Forbes,  to  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Thus  have 
we  endeavored  to  give,  as  concisely  as  possible,  but  faith- 
fully as  to  facts  and  dates,  the  history  of  this  church. 

And  now  we  are  near  the  end  of  the  story.  How  swiftly 
do  we  pass  over  in  thought  the  uneven  path  that  the  gene- 
rations have  toiled  along  so  wearily.  How  lightly  do  we 
pass  by  and  leave  behind  us  the  rough  furlongs,  where  the 
feet  of  the  travelers  have  stumbled  and  fallen.  And  in 
truth  we  should  add,  how  superficially  at  the  best,  do  we 
write  and  read. 

The   undercurrent   of  thought  and   passion,    that  sends 


22  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE, 

to  the  surface  the  occasional  event  from  which  our  frag- 
mentary and  imperfect  records  are  made  up,  is  reserved  for 
the  All-seeing  Eye  alone.  Every  being  and  organization 
has  a  history  that  only  the  Judgment  Day  will  disclose.  We 
may  not  know  what  that  history  of  this  church  is,  but  we 
believe  that  when  it  is  completed  and  unfolded  it  will,  with 
all  the  attendant  circumstances  that  have  come  under  human 
observation,  bear  unimpeachable  testimony  to  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  our  GrOD.  He  has  been  faithful  to  the  father- 
less and  the  widow.  He  has  been  careful  of  the  interests  of 
his  children,  temporal  and  spiritual.  He  has  answered  the 
penitent's  prayer,  and  wiped  away  the  mourner's  tear.  He 
has  given  his  angels  charge  concerning  this  little  flock 
through  all  their  earthly  pilgrimage.  His  messengers  have 
tented  within  these  walls,  and  heads  that  were  pillowed  on 
stone  have  found  it  the  gate  of  heaven. 

"  The  days  of  the  years  of  my  pilgrimage,"  says  the  old 
church,  "are  an  hundred  and  thirty  years."  I  have  seen 
the  forefathers  laid  in  their  graves  ;  I  have  seen  the  children 
and  the  grandchildren  grow  up  and  pass  away  ;  I  have  seen 
this  country  when  it  was  but  thirteen  small  and  dependent 
colonies  ;  I  have  seen  them  develop  into  a  united  and  pow- 
erful nationality,  I  have  seen  this  village  enlarging  its 
boundaries  and  multiplying  its  industries.  I  have  seen 
churches  of  other  denominations  springing  up  around  me  ; 
I  have  heard  the  individual,  and  church,  and  state,  calling 
upon  the  Universal  Father  and  making  known  their  neces- 
sities, and  never  have  I  known  the  faintest  cry  to  be  disre- 
garded. "  Once  I  was  young  and  now  I  am  old,  yet  never 
have  I  seen  the  righteous  forsaken^ 

And  now,  brethren,  we  must  not  forget  at  any  time  that 
we  hold  a  place  in  the  long  column  of  generations  that  keeps 


SPRINGFIELD,    N.    J.  23 

Steadily  on  in  the  march  of  ages.  We  must  not  forget  that 
the  fore  ranks  have  fallen,  and  that  we  are  the  vanguard 
to-day  fronting  the  grave.  The  night  is  far  spent,  and  the 
dawn — whose  radiant  glory  tinges  at  last  the  mountain  peaks 
of  faith  and  hope — finds  us  in  the  place  of  honor  on  the  field 
of  conflict.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  past  but  to 
gather  from  it  the  lessons  of  experience,  to  serve  us  in  the 
present.  The  ages  gone  belonged  to  the  generations  that 
peopled  them;  the  age  in  which  we  live  belongs  to  us, 
and  all  its  duties  and  responsibilities  are  ours.  And  if 
ever  there  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  when 
the  call  was  urgent  to  the  people  of  God  to  come  uj?  to  the 
help  of  the  Lord,  that  time  is  the  present.  The  forces  of 
evil  are  marshaling  for  the  closing  struggle.  Modern  scepti- 
cism is  loud  mouthed  and  defiant.  Roman  Catholicism  is  des- 
perate in  its  death  throes.  Anti-Christ  is  at  flood-tide,  and 
all  the  springs  of  wordliness  are  swelling  its  current.  Come 
up,  O  men  and  women  of  faith  and  prayer ;  come  up  with 
willing  hands  and  sympathetic  hearts,  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord  against  the  mighty.  And  you,  slow  of  heart  and 
slower  of  hand,  unwilling  to  do  your  part  yet  bearing  the 
name  of  Christ,  if  you  hear  not  the  trumpet  call  of  the  Spirit 
that  is  sounding  through  the  land  to-day,  I  pray  you  for  the 
love  of  God  separate  yourselves  from  his  people,  and  go  to 
your  own  place,  that  the  world  may  know  you  for  what  you 
are,  and  the  Church  of  Christ  may  escape  the  reproach. 

"  Far  down  the  ages  now, 

Much  of  her  journey  done ; 
The  pilgrim  church  pursues  her  way, 
Until  her  crown  be  won. 

No  wider  is  the  gate, 

No  broader  is  the  way; 
No  smoother  is  the  ancient  path, 

That  leads  to  life  and  day. 


24  HISTORICAL     DISCOURSE. 

No  slacker  grows  the  flght. 
^  No  feebler  is  the  foe, 

Nor  less  the  need  of  armor  tried, 
Of  shield,  and  spear,  and  bow. 

Still  faithful  to  our  God, 

And  to  our  captain  true; 
We  follow  where  He  leads  the  way, 

The  kingdom  in  our  view." 

Let  US  be  faithful,  brethren,  in  our  day,  and  our  influence 
will  be  felt,  and  our  memory  fragrant,  in  the  years  to  come. 
This  church  has  a  glorious  record ;  let  us  so  live  and  labor 
that  its  course  shall  still  be  from  glory  to  glory. 

God  bless  the  old  Church  forevermore  ! 


229TCj^73  i 

4-97   32180      MS      t 


Princeton  Theoloqical  fe^iinai-y .Li^i!;^'';^^ 


1    1012  01191    9505 


!     \ 

"A  '• 


i  5 


mmH>i>^-:^iiHi^uni\n 


